Then and now...

Generally when someone refers to the FEDS people become alarmed or express disgruntlement with the government entities that police the people of this country. FEDS is actually a slang term that was cultivated through music and the internet to refer to the controversial practices of so called corrupt officials. However, these are not the FEDS that are being referred to in this post. Re-defined, the FEDS are: funds, education, determination, and success; the essential pedigrees needed to achieve YOUR quality of life.

To clarify for the sake of this conversation, educational pedigree in this definition is not solely associated with school; it's wide open to the interpretation that anything you do to educate yourself on your craft, trade, or skill is acceptable education. Hindsight reflects that many people have succeeded with and without traditional education because of the body of work they put into educating themselves in the business they sought. People like: Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Kristy Walton (Wal-Mart), Jay-Z and Beyoncé (artist), and Mike Zuckerberg (Facebook) are all self made million and billionaires from different and similar business sectors, who are college dropouts or never went to college at all. This is not to mislead anyone, because there is an impressive list of those with the same gravity of success on the flip side. To be fair these are people with incredible talents and minds; extradordinarily gifted. Nevertheless, they had to open their mind to the idea that being successful is not predestined by the amount of education or talent a person has, but by the work put into the full pedigree to achieve their success.

Determination drives motivation and passion. No one has a flawless journey. Opposition is met at the top and bottom; "no's" will be a well known response and sacrifices will be the pillow for ones head as they push to be successful. Those who succeed are not shaken by this; they feel the rejection and redirect it as motivation. Their core belief in themselves is never rattled. Determination cycles out those that "wish" they could and those that understand they "can".

Funds are defined by the networth of a person: stocks, bonds, investments, property, assets, and currency. Combined together, these are the type of funds that separate classes of people. The reality is only a small percentage of us will reach the status of the highest elite for various reasons. The goal should be to dig into the pie; the infinite pie of success that is not unobtainable. What it takes is a strong commitment to the FEDS.

Take time today to examine where you are with your FEDS. Treat it like an equation: all the accounts of funding, plus your personal education needed to obtain your goal, plus the determination you need or have to achieve your goal- equals what success will look like to you. Some opportunities are simply opportunities that lead to better opportunities. If you fall under the number one complaint of people, "I need more money", then what are you doing to make more? Change your quality of life; invest time in your FEDS.